Today, the worst franchise in the NBA took back the former name from the team who bolted from Charlotte to New Orleans back in 2002. With the New Orleans changing their name to the Pelicans for the 2013-2014 season, the opportunity for Charlotte to reclaim their name was right in their palms. Or wings.
Either way, Michael Jordan, majority owner of the former Bobcats, recognized an opportunity to rebrand the team and potentially ditch the negative vibes of the worst team in the league. On the other hand, the past Hornets have failed to achieve higher bragging rights over the past few years themselves. But change is good. Change cannot hurt.
The small market teams in the NBA hang tight to the revenue sharing that is mandated by the league. These teams, including Charlotte and Cleveland, have had trouble sustaining high levels of interest in their teams. For a few, winning has been a formidable solution (Memphis). These standards, do not hold up throughout the Big 4 sports (Tampa Bay Rays) and are always questions of what will draw crowds to games.
All in all, this is by far the right move for the Bobcats. The team is definitely rising (take note they are not "on the rise"), but proper rebranding may help bring national interest to a team that has been nothing but an eyesore since 2004.
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